Teeth Stains!

Brush immediately. That's my strategy. But, I have to wonder, does anyone notice a difference in staining by tea variety? Subjectively, I notice black is worse than oolong, and oolong worse than green.

~Maru

Mydnight wrote:

an endless night.

Actually, the last time I went in to get my teeth cleaned my hygenist gave me grief...she asked me if I drink a lot of soda. I said no but I drink tea (more than half of what I drink is sweetened and with milk) and so she blamed it on that. Be that as it may I'm not giving up my assam for NOBODY...it's one of the few simple pleasures I have left in my life, :P.

She didn't mention stains. I figure, I quit smoking four years ago and that stains teeth so I've replaced that dangerous pastime with one more healthy.

Melinda

It was similar for me. I thought when I started drinking tea that my teeth would get more stained, but I gave up smoking at about the same time and don't see much difference.

This is why I, once a week or so, brush with a whitening toothpaste for a couple of extra minutes. It polishes things up quite nicely.

I can't use typical toothpastes on a daily basis because they irritate my gums too much. So about once a week is all I'm willing to do.

A bit of baking soda on a cotton swab can be used to clean just your front teeth without irritating the gums-- a low cost solution. Arm & Hammer whitening toothpaste or Dental Care baking soda tooth powder also work well, and taste better. :-)

...

You're right. Black tea is the worst, it can turn your whole mouth orange depending on what variety.

The rest stain pretty evenly, I would guess.

Mydnight

-------------------- thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.

OH yeah, I forgot to mention. Since my hygienist was beating up on me so much, she then decided to give me a whole carton of the special stuff that they use to clean your teeth. It's slightly abrasive, but it contains a decent amount of fluoride too!

Rock! Maybe I could start selling that with tea. heh

Mydnight

-------------------- thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.

I rinse immediately & use baking soda to clean & brush once a week. this keeps the stain to minimum. & i usually drink lightly fermented oolong ("green oolong") which is not as bad. black pu-er seems to be the worst. just as bad as coffee.

bye now,

Pam @ Home

Cort Furniture Rental and Honesty are two exclusive concepts.

Furniture rental and honesty are two mutually exclusive concepts. By the time the rental period is over, people have often paid enough to purchase the item rented - often more than one of 'em.

I read something w/i the last month about indications that white tea prevents dental caries. Don't recall where, but you gotta love those rats.

Back in '01 while in HI, I asked my dentist there what product would be good and he said that he wasn't comfortable with what was on the shelves at that time. He said that the only product in which he had faith that it wouldn't damage your teeth was one that you have to have a custom tray made ($$$) and to avoid Rembrandt at all costs, even the toothpaste, because it wears away enamel. He said 'no' to another, but I can't recall which that was.

But, that was more than 3 years ago, more products are on the shelves, I'm here on the Mainland, and I forgot to ask this dentist again(!) at my last checkup. I went to Wal-Mart and bought a tube of Plus+White 5 Minute Power Gel Bleaching because I didn't recognize anything that was abrasive. No chemist am I, so if there's anyone here who recognizes an abrasive...hmm...didn't water carve out the Grand Canyon?...where did it put all that dirt?...I'd appreciate your giving a heads-up.

Ingredients: Water, Poloxamer 407, Hydrogen Peroxide, Glycerin, Methyl Salicylate, Sodium Saccharin, Blue 1, Calcium Disodium EDTA, Phosphoric Acid.

Mainland?

Phosphoric acid doesn't look too healthy...

Mydnight

-------------------- thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.

I'm going to just say in light of viewing ya'll replies to my original post, make sure you brush morning and night and visit your dentist on a regular basis to get your teeth cleaned. Perhaps also wash your mouth out with water or something after drinking tea.

Depending on what tea you drink....some Chinese teas are more known for the 'hui gan' or residual flavor that's supposed to last long after you finish drinking, so washing your mouth out would kill it.

I'm not going to go anywhere near any whitening stuff. Harsh chemicals of any nature scare me.

Mydnight

-------------------- thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.

Yes, the continent that the rest of the US is on as differentiated from the islands of Hawaii 'way off out in the Pacific Ocean.

Is that what make carbonated water or am I thinking of phosphorus or something else?

Anyway, I bought it and I don't know if it's okay to use and I don't like having dingy teeth and I don't relish the thought of ruining them with a bad product and I keep forgetting to ask my dentist and...

I think you've got your abrasive and your corrosive right there.

Used to.

Salt. That works perfectly.

What is an hygienist ? I brush my teeth at home (or elsewhere when I travel).

Kuri

My dentist uses no stuff at all, just a special brush.

You can use it daily ? Too much fluor makes your teeth break. It's not a joke, my aunt lives in a place where the water contains lots of it, humans drink mineral water so no problem, but cattle suffer of fragility in teeth and bones.

Kuri

Thanks.

Yes, and that abrasive cleaner your hygienist gave you will wear down your enamel, also. I was instructed to use a soft brush and brush each tooth very lightly, not to scrub like many do, to avoid wearing down enamel while brushing.

It appears that there isn't anything that's totally safe for cleaning teeth - just that some are less detrimental than others.

She recommended on a weekly basis to use it. A little fluoride helps make your teeth stronger.

Mydnight

-------------------- thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.